2015-16 STUDENT COURSE CATALOG ABOUT GLOBAL ONLINE ACADEMY COURSES: Global Online Academy courses are interactive, engaging, and experiential. There are semester-long and year-long options in subjects ranging from organic chemistry to graphic design. All GOA courses have synchronous components (when students collaborate together, or work with their teacher, at a set time, generally using video conferencing software) and asynchronous components (students work at their own pace). Please note that GOA courses require the same time commitment and have similar workloads as any other course you would take on campus at your school. We hope you will join us! Share your voice. Pursue your passion.
KEY DATES/OVERVIEW: YEARLONG: September 3 – December 18, 2015 & January 25 – May 6, 2016 • • • • •
ARABIC LANGUAGE AND CULTURE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING I: JAVA DIGITAL JOURNALISM JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS
SEMESTER 1: September 3 – December 18, 2015 ART, MEDIA, AND DESIGN • CREATIVE NON-FICTION (NEW IN 2015-2016) • DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY • FILMMAKING (NEW IN 2015-2016) • GRAPHIC DESIGN • POETRY WRITING HEALTH AND MEDICINE • INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY • MEDICAL PROBLEM SOLVING • BIOETHICS • GLOBAL HEALTH INTERCULTURAL STUDIES • GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS • THIS WE BELIEVE: COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY • COMPUTER PROGRAMMING I: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING (NEW IN 2015-2016) • LINEAR ALGEBRA THROUGH MODERN APPLICATIONS (NEW IN 2015-2016) • CONTEST MATHEMATICS (NEW IN 2015-2016) PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS • 9/11 IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT • APPLYING PHILOSOPHY TO MODERN GLOBAL ISSUES • MICROECONOMICS
SEMESTER 2: January 25 – May 6, 2016 ART, MEDIA, AND DESIGN • ARCHITECTURE (NEW IN 2015-2016) • BEYOND PHOTOSHOP: THE ART OF CODE; THE CODE OF ART (NEW IN 2015-2016) • FICTION WRITING • MUSIC THEORY AND DIGITAL COMPOSITION HEALTH AND MEDICINE • INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY • MEDICAL PROBLEM SOLVING • ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY • BIOETHICS • BIOSTATISTICS (NEW IN 2015-2016) • MEDICAL PROBLEM SOLVING II (NEW IN 2015-2016) • NEUROPSYCHOLOGY • ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN MODERN LIFE INTERCULTURAL STUDIES • GENDER STUDIES MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY • COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: ADVANCED JAVA (NEW IN 2015-2016) • COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: ANALYZING DATA WITH PYTHON • COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: IOS APP DEVELOPMENT • GAME THEORY PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS • ADVOCACY • COMPARATIVE POLITICS • ENERGY • MACROECONOMICS
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS (listed by theme / term offered) ART, MEDIA, AND DESIGN Art, Media, and Design courses focus on developing students’ creative and practical skills in fields such as graphic design, architecture, and digital photography. DIGITAL JOURNALISM (Year-long): Students learn fundamentals of reporting as they generate news stories for publication in The Atlas, the news blog of Global Online Academy. Practical topics such as budget lines, leads, article structure, layout, and publication rights are addressed, as are journalistic ethics and the historical arc of the field. The first semester focuses primarily on text as a medium, while the second expands to include photo essays, video, and infographics. Students interact through discussion forums, Skype, and other digital tools, giving peer feedback and frequently teaming up to report and create news items collaboratively. Each student has a role to play on an editing and production team. While school newspapers write for a school community, stories in The Atlas are geared toward a global audience with stories as pertinent to students in Jakarta as they are to those in Minneapolis. Students who have completed Digital Journalism are eligible to continue writing for The Atlas while they attend GOA member schools. CREATIVE NON-FICTION (Semester 1): This course will focus on shaping real experiences into powerful narratives. Through the study of professional examples and their own work, students will learn how to identify great stories in their lives and in the world around them, how to develop their own voice through writing, and how to effectively and respectfully write about other people and their experiences. Feedback is an essential component of this course, and students will gain experience in the workshop model, learning how to effectively critique and discuss one another's writing in a digital environment. In addition, students will have the opportunity to use technology to transform written work into audio experiences. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY (Semester 1): Photography can be a powerful and persuasive tool. This course is designed for students to learn how to give an emotional context to social, political, environmental, and global issues through photography. Students will learn how to prepare for and execute specific types of photographs, as well as the technical elements of digital editing. While students work on photo-based projects, they will simultaneously engage in discussions about topics such as the appropriate use of Photoshop, or the ethics of digital advertising. Students will be given opportunities to interpret specific global issues through their own photographs. In addition to taking photographs, students will write descriptions and reflections and give constructive feedback on their peers’ work. Note: Students enrolled in Digital Photography must have access to a digital camera. FILMMAKING (Semester 1): This course is for students interested in developing their skills as filmmakers and creative problem-solvers. It is also a forum for screening the work of their peers and providing constructive feedback for revisions and future projects, while helping them to develop critical thinking skills. The course works from a set of specific exercises based on self-directed research and builds to a series of short experimental films that challenge students on both a technical and creative level. Throughout, we will increasingly focus on helping students express their personal outlooks and develop their unique styles as
filmmakers. We will review and reference short films online and discuss how students might find inspiration and apply what they find to their own works. Prerequisite: Students must have access to an HD video camera, tripod or other stabilizing equipment, and editing software such as iMovie, Premiere Pro, etc. GRAPHIC DESIGN (Semester 1): This course will explore the relationship between information and influence from a graphic design perspective. What makes a message persuasive and compelling? What helps audiences and viewers sort and make sense of information? Using an integrated case study and design-based approach, this course aims to deepen students’ design, visual, and information literacies. Students will be empowered to design and prototype communication projects they are passionate about. Topics addressed include: principles of design and visual communication; infographics; digital search skills; networks and social media; persuasion and storytelling with multimedia; and social activism on the Internet. Student work will include individual and collaborative group projects, graphic design, content curation, some analytical and creative writing, peer review and critiques, and online presentations. POETRY WRITING (Semester 1): This poetry-writing workshop explores identity and seeks to answer the question, How are you shaped (or not) by the community you live in? Our goal will be to create a supportive online network of writers that use language to discover unique and mutual understandings of what it means to be a global citizen from a local place. Students will draft and revise poems, provide and receive frequent feedback, and read a range of modern and contemporary poets whose work is grounded in place. Sample assignments include audio and video recording, an online journal, study of performance poetry, peer videoconferences, a video interview with a renowned poet, collaborative poetry anthologies, and a class publication. All writers will have the opportunity to send their work to international contests and publications. ARCHITECTURE (Semester 2): In this course students will explore the architecture, engineering, and construction of some of the most important buildings from human history. Students will study buildings like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Stonehenge in England, the Parthenon in Athens, the Roman Aqueduct of Pont du Gard in France, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Alhambra in Spain, and the Gothic cathedral at Reims, to develop an understanding of the evolution of architecture through time. Students will be encouraged to build models of elements of these structures to better understand the construction and engineering behind their design. In the final portion of the course, students will have the opportunity to investigate and build a structure of their choice based on their new understanding of architecture, construction, and engineering. Students will be encouraged to use graphic programs like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to help create their designs. BEYOND PHOTOSHOP: THE ART OF CODE, THE CODE OF ART (Semester 2) Note: this course is offered through Grinnell College and is taught by a Grinnell professor. Students who complete this course are eligible for college credit from Grinnell and should expect a college-level workload. In the 21st century, artists regularly use computer technology as part of their practice, and that use goes beyond using software tools like Photoshop to make images. Arts practice may involve writing programs that generate artworks, that control devices, or that help artists explore design spaces. In this course, we will explore models of arts computing using the Processing programming language. We will consider programs for both 2D and 3D images, for both still and animated images, and for independent and interactive programs. Along the
way, we will also develop skills in computational thinking and consider relationships between the arts and technology. Regular work will include arts programs that will be judged in terms of both aesthetic and program design criteria as well as readings about arts programming. Across the semester, students will assemble a portfolio of projects and analyses. No prior programming experience is required. Prequisite: Students should have taken a course in mathematics that includes the study of trigonometry. FICTION WRITING (Semester 2): This course connects students who are interested in creative writing (primarily short fiction) and provides a space for supportive and constructive feedback. Students will gain experience in the workshop model, learning how to effectively critique and discuss one another's writing in a digital environment. In addition to developing skills as a reader within a workshop setting, students will work to develop their own writing identities through a variety of exercises. The course will capitalize on the geographic diversity of the student body by eliciting stories that shed light on both the commonalities and differences of life experiences in different locations. Additionally, we will read and discuss the work of authors from around the globe. Students’ essential responsibilities will be twofold: to act as writers and readers. Both will require participation in discussions of various formats within our online community, as well as dedicated time outside of class reading one another’s work and writing pieces for the workshop. MUSIC THEORY and DIGITAL COMPOSITION (Semester 2): This course focuses on the building blocks of music (scales, chords, keys, intervals, harmonic relationships, rhythm, and meter) with the ultimate goal of helping students create compositions of their own. Students will use a variety of online resources to build their skills and to learn to create and arrange music using various digital media. The intent is for students to craft their own work without resorting to pre-determined, canned, digital samples, but rather to draw from their own intellect the musical tools that can be written down, tweaked, and ultimately performed and recorded. Class members will share their work with others online, offer peer feedback in conjunction with faculty guidance, and begin building a body of their own compositions.
HEALTH AND MEDICINE Health and Medicine courses focus on understanding the natural world from both biological and sociological perspectives. BIOETHICS (Semester 1, 2): Ethics is the study of what one should do as an individual and as a member of society. In this course students will evaluate ethical issues related to medicine and the life sciences. During the semester, students will explore real-life ethical issues, including vaccination policies, organ transplantation, genetic testing, human experimentation, and animal research. Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will be introduced to basic concepts and skills in the field of bioethics, will deepen their understanding of biological concepts, will strengthen their critical-reasoning skills, and will learn to engage in respectful dialogue with people whose views may differ from their own. In addition to journal articles and position papers, students will be required to read Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY (Semester 1, 2): This course is anchored in scientific exploration, evolving methods of inquiry, and interdisciplinary application. Students will explore, and eventually integrate, content through research, critical and creative writing, analysis and reflection. Students will examine the biological bases of behavior, lifespan development, learning and personality theories, psychological disorders and social processes. MEDICAL PROBLEM SOLVING I (Semester 1, 2): In this course students will collaboratively solve medical mystery cases, similar to the approach used in many medical schools. Students enhance their critical thinking skills as they examine data, draw conclusions, diagnose, and treat patients. Students will use problem-solving techniques in order to understand and appreciate relevant medical/biological facts as they confront the principles and practices of medicine. Students will explore anatomy and physiology pertaining to medical scenarios and gain an understanding of the disease process, demographics of disease, and pharmacology. Additional learning experiences will include studying current issues in health and medicine, building a community-service action plan, interviewing a patient, and creating a new mystery case. GLOBAL HEALTH (Semester 1): What makes people sick? What social and political factors lead to the health disparities we see both within our own community and on a global scale? What are the biggest challenges in global health and how might they be met? Using an interdisciplinary approach to address these two questions, this course hopes to improve students' health literacy through an examination of the most significant public-health challenges facing today's global population. Topics addressed will be the biology of infectious disease (specifically HIV and Malaria); the statistics and quantitative measures associated with health issues; the social determinants of health; and the role of organizations (public and private) in shaping the landscape of global health policy. Students will use illness as a lens through which to examine critically such social issues as poverty, gender, and race. Student work will include analytical and creative writing; research, and peer collaboration; reading and discussions of nonfiction; and online presentations. ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY (Semester 2): This course focuses on psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and depression. As students examine these and
other disorders, they will learn about their symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. Students will also deepen their understanding of the social stigmas associated with mental illnesses. This course can be taken as a continuation of Introduction to Psychology, although it is not required. BIOSTATISTICS (Semester 2): Based around case studies and diagnostics tests in medicine and health, biotechnology, and environmental science, this course allows students to display and communicate statistical data to draw conclusions about current events. Students in this course will receive instruction in biostatistical analysis and research design and will be expected to apply data to answer diagnostics questions. Specific topics discussed will include descriptive statistics, estimation and hypothesis testing, linear and logistic regression, contingency tables, life tables and experimental design. Prerequisite: completion of Algebra 2 or the equivalent. MEDICAL PROBLEM SOLVING II (Semester 2): This course is an extension of the problem-based learning done in Medical Problem Solving I. While collaborative examination of medical case studies will remain the core work of the course, students will tackle more complex cases and explore new topics in medical science, such as the growing field of bioinformatics. Students in MPS II will also have opportunities to design cases based on personal interests, discuss current topics in medicine, and apply their learning to issues in their local communities. Prerequisite: completion of Medical Problem Solving I. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY (Semester 2): This course is an exploration of the neurological basis of behavior. It will cover basic brain anatomy and function as well as cognitive and behavioral disorders from a neurobiological perspective. Examples of illnesses to be covered include: Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. Diagnostic and treatment issues (including behavioral and pharmaceutical management) will be addressed. Additional topics include: professional standards and the code of ethics governing all psychologists; psychometrics; and the history of neuropsychology. This course can be taken as a continuation of Introduction to Psychology, although it is not required. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY in MODERN SOCIETY (Semester 2): This course is designed with two goals in mind; one pragmatic, and one philosophical. Pragmatically it will provide a few foundational blocks for further studies in the organic chemistry field, giving students a small window on future, more traditional organic courses. Philosophically it aims to open an infinite world of discovery of complex molecules, their properties and reactions and applications, that hold the keys to confronting and solving the world¹s most challenging, future scientific problems. The emphasis of the course is on stimulating interest in organic chemistry through an exploration of the molecules relevant to modern life. Students can use this course as a springboard for further learning, as the beginning of a longer journey.
INTERCULTURAL STUDIES Intercultural Studies courses focus on the study of cultural perspectives, religion, and world languages. ARABIC I: LANGUAGE THROUGH CULTURE (Year-long): This full-year course will highlight Modern Standard Arabic and some of the spoken dialect of the Levant. With an emphasis on Arabic culture, students will learn commonly used expressions and phrases from the Levant area. Students will develop their skills in listening, reading, writing, forming grammatically correct structured sentences, and most importantly, conversation. This will be accomplished through podcasts, videos, culture circles discussions, web conferencing, and collaborations in group projects. In addition, students will have direct conversations with native speakers of Arabic through a virtual club called “Shu Fe Maa Fe,” where students are required to meet online with their assigned partner and learn about a certain cultural topic every week, such as traditional food, greetings, gestures, values, history and more. Since Arabic is becoming one of the most functional languages in the world, especially in the areas of commerce, business, and trade, students participating in this course can avail themselves of the opportunity to learn the language in a highly stimulating and rich cultural context. JAPANESE I: LANGUAGE THROUGH CULTURE (Year-long): This full-year course is a unique combination of Japanese culture and language, weaving cultural comparison with the study of basic Japanese language and grammar. While examining various cultural topics such as literature, art, lifestyle and economy, students will learn the basics of the Japanese writing system (Hiragana and Katakana), grammar and vocabulary. Through varied synchronous and asynchronous assignments, including hands-on projects and face-toface communications, students will develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. The cultural study and discussion will be conducted in English, with topics alternating every two to three weeks. The ultimate goal of this course is to raise awareness and appreciation of different cultures through learning the basics of the Japanese language. The focus of this course will be 60 percent on language and 40 percent on culture. This course is appropriate for beginner-level students. GENOCIDE and HUMAN RIGHTS (Semester 1): Students in this course study several of the major genocides of the 20th century (Armenian, the Holocaust, Cambodian, and Rwandan), analyze the role of the international community in responding to and preventing further genocides with particular attention to the Nuremberg Tribunals, and examine current human rights crises around the world. Students will read primary and secondary sources, participate in both synchronous and asynchronous discussions with classmates, write brief papers, read short novels, watch documentaries and develop a human rights report card web site about a nation in the world of their choice. THIS WE BELIEVE: COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS (Semester 1): A theme-based comparison of the world's religions yields a deeper understanding both of the diversity of perspectives in our global population and of the truth that is within all traditions. Students in this course will develop a more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices, and learn to engage in effective and productive collaboration with peers around the world. After establishing a foundational knowledge of “the Big Five”: Hinduism, Bud-
dhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, we will then apply a thematic approach, exploring specific characteristics of religion through the lenses of various faith traditions. GENDER STUDIES (Semester 2): This course uses the concept of gender to examine a range of topics and disciplines that might include feminism, gay and lesbian studies, women’s studies, popular culture, and politics. Throughout the course students will examine the intersection of gender with other social identifiers: class, race, sexual orientation, culture, and ethnicity. Students will read about, write about, and discuss gender issues as they simultaneously reflect on the ways that gender has manifested in and influenced their lives.
MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY Mathematics and Technology courses are focused on the application of quantitative reasoning, logic, and associated skills. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING I: JAVA (Year-long): This course teaches students how to write programs in the Java programming language. Students will develop problem solving and computational thinking skills framed by the questions: How do computers store information? How do they make intelligent decisions? How can they efficiently process large tasks? Students will learn the major syntactical elements of the Java language though objected oriented design. The emphasis in the course will be on creating intelligent systems though the fundamentals of Computer Science. Students will write working programs through short lab assignments and more extended projects that incorporate graphics and animation. No previous computer programming knowledge is necessary. MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS (Year-long): Multivariable Calculus will extend the principles and techniques of a first course in calculus to higher dimensions. Students will study vector algebra and functions, matrices, curves in space, arc length and curvature, and velocity and acceleration. This course is meant for students who successfully completed a first year AP (or equivalent) calculus course. Students must be comfortable using or learning to use new technology. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING I: COMPUTATIONAL THINKING (Semester 1): In this one-semester course, students will learn some fundamental concepts that allow programmers to control the way a computer operates. There will be an introduction to the components of a computer, boundaries between hardware and software implementations, and differences among client-server, local, remote, and cloud computing. Students will explore the role of computers in society, business, entertainment, and academia. Hands-on technical concepts will be introduced through the development of some simple websites, so students will be exposed to HTML and JavaScript. Although there will be some programming exercises, this course is designed for students with no previous programming or coding experience. CONTEST MATHEMATICS (Semester 1): This course will cover the mathematics that arises on contests such as the AMC, AIME, USAMO, and Mandelbrot. Although the prerequisites are few, students are expected to be capable and enthusiastic problem solvers who are eager to apply their skills and creativity to a broad range of problems. Students will become more adept at solving math contest problems while learning the mathematics that underlies these problems. Potential topics include: combinatorics, number theory, geometry and trigonometry, and algebra and inequalities. Prerequisite: completion of Geometry or the equivalent. This course is recommended for students with some experience with math contests (such as the AMC). LINEAR ALGEBRA THROUGH MODERN APPLICATIONS (Semester 1): In this course you will learn about the algebra of vector spaces and matrices by looking at how images of objects in the plane and space are transformed in computer graphics. Some paper-and-pencil calculations will be done early in the course, but the computer software package Geogebra (free) will be used to do most of the calculating in the course. No prior experience with this software or linear algebra is necessary. This introduction is followed by looking at the analysis of social networks using linear algebraic techniques. Students will learn how to model
social networks using matrices and to discover things about the network with linear algebra as your tool. We will consider applications like Facebook and Google. Prerequisites: completion of Geometry and Algebra 2 or the equivalents. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: ADVANCED JAVA (Semester 2): This intensive course uses Java programming language to study programming methodology, algorithms, data structures, procedural and data abstraction, and object orientation. Advanced models for reasoning and solving problems are explored. Topics include number systems, Boolean operations, Control Flow, Looping, Classes and Methods, Arrays, ArrayLists, Recursion, Inheritance and Searching and Sorting. Emphasis is placed on the design, creation, and verification of proper algorithms and programs; on programming methodology, algorithms, and problem solving, providing students with a hands-on, end-to-end experience of structured, object-oriented programming. Prerequisite: Completion of an introductory Java course OR permission from the instructor. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: ANALYZING DATA with PYTHON (Semester 2): In this course, students will utilize the Python programming language to read, manipulate and analyze data. The course emphasizes using real world datasets, which are often large, messy, and inconsistent. The prerequisite for this course is familiarity with and hands-on experience using some high-order programming language, such as Java, C++, VisualBasic, or Python itself. Because of the powerful data structures and clear syntax of Python, it is one of the most widely used programming languages in scientific computing. There are a multitude of practical applications of Python in fields like biology, engineering, and statistics. Prerequisites: Completion of an introductory programming course OR permission from the instructor. COMPUTER PROGRAMMING II: iOS APP DESIGN (Semester 2): Learn how to build apps for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad and publish them in the App Store. Students will work much like a small startup: collaborating as a team, sharing code, and learning to communicate with each other throughout the course. Students will learn the valuable skills of creativity, collaboration, and communication, as they create something incredibly cool, challenging, and worthwhile. Note: For this course, it is required that students have access to a computer running the most current version of Mac OS X. An iOS device that can run apps (iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad) is also highly recommended. Prerequisites: Completion of an introductory programming course OR permission from the instructor. GAME THEORY (Semester 2): Do you play games? Ever wonder if you’re using “the right” strategy? What makes one strategy better than another? In this course, we’ll explore a branch of mathematics known as game theory, which answers these questions and many more. Game theory is widely applicable in the real world as we face dilemmas and challenges every day, most of which we can mathematically treat as games! We will consider significant global events from fields like diplomacy, political science, anthropology, philosophy, and economics. Specific mathematical ideas we'll discuss include two person zero sum games, two person non-zero sum games, multi-player games, game trees, matrix algebra, linear optimization, voting and power theory, and applications of game theory techniques to a plethora of real world problems.
PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS, AND ECONOMICS Politics, Philosophy, and Economics courses focus on questions of human decision-making in today’s global societies. 9/11 in a GLOBAL CONTEXT (Semester 1): September 11, 2001 was a tragic day that changed the world in profound ways. In this course students will explore the causes of 9/11, the events of the day itself, and its aftermath locally, nationally, and around the world. In place of a standard chronological framework, students instead will view these events through a series of separate lenses. Each lens will represent a different way to view the attacks and will allow students to understand 9/11 as an event with complex and interrelated causes and outcomes. Using a variety of technologies and activities, students will work individually and with peers to evaluate each lens. Students will then analyze the post-9/11 period and explore how this event affected the U.S., the Middle East, and the wider world. APPLYING PHILOSOPHY to MODERN GLOBAL ISSUES (Semester 1): This is an applied philosophy course that connects pressing contemporary issues with broad-range philosophical ideas and controversies, drawn from multiple traditions and many centuries. Students will use ideas from influential philosophers to shed light on recent political events such as the global economic downturn and the sweeping revolutions of the Arab Spring, as well as new developments in fields as diverse as biology, cognitive science, and political theory. In addition to introducing students to the work of philosophers as diverse as Confucius and Martin Heidegger, this course also aims to be richly interdisciplinary, incorporating models and methods from diverse fields including history, journalism, literary criticism, and media studies. MICROECONOMICS (Semester 1): In this course, students will learn about how consumers and producers interact to form a market and then how and why the government may intervene in that market. Students will deepen their understanding of basic microeconomic theory through class discussion and debate, problem solving, and written reflection. Students will visit a local production site and write a report using the market principals they have learned. Economic ways of thinking about the world will help them better understand their roles as consumers and workers, and someday, as voters and producers. ADVOCACY (Semester 2): This skills-based course will explore the creativity, effort, and diversity of techniques required to change people's minds and motivate them to act. Students will learn how to craft persuasive arguments in a variety of formats (written, oral, and multimedia) by developing a campaign for change around an issue about which they care deeply. We will explore a number of relevant case studies and examples as we craft our campaigns. Units will include persuasive writing, social media, public speaking, informational graphics, and more. The culminating project will be a multimedia presentation delivered and recorded before a live audience. COMPARATIVE POLITICS (Semester 2): In 2012, the Economist issued a report entitled “Democracy at a Standstill.” This course uses the comparative model to ask students to consider whether democracy is in fact at a standstill, but more importantly, if and why we should care. By looking at current events, reading scholarly research, analyzing data, conducting personal interviews and engaging in a series of debates, students will assess the status of democracy in the world and also explore the challenges and alternatives to de-
mocratic systems. In so doing, they will constantly reevaluate their own beliefs and understandings about how power should be distributed and utilized. ENERGY (Semester 2): Students will develop a keen ability to analyze global energy issues. A historical and scientific exploration of fossil fuels gives students the foundation to tackle economic and environmental concerns related to traditional and alternative energy. Students do technical analyses of the rates of depletion of the reserves of major oil-producing countries, and investigate the motivations for an oil-producing nation to become member of OPEC. Students will take sides in major energy debates on topics like “fracking” or the international movement of energy supplies. In their final project, students present to their peers on all key aspects of an alternative energy source, including technical and economic viability and environmental sustainability. MACROECONOMICS (Semester 2): In this course students will study macroeconomic theory as it relates to domestic and global policies on employment, national income, government spending, and the impact of foreign spending on domestic economies and foreign exchange markets. Students will use real world events and data as case studies in order to develop a better understanding of the driving forces behind domestic and international macroeconomic markets. In the final portion of the course, students will have the opportunity to develop their own solutions to a local/global issue of their choice (such as poverty, environmental pollution, and limited access to education) based on their new understanding of macroeconomic theory.